St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-07-28
LINCOLN's ADDRESS Ar GETTYS-
BURG.
sprinafeld Republican


November 10, 1863, have lately been
the subject of some controversy from
which the facts may be more clearly
determined. 1t was started by an in
terview with Edward Mcpherson, the
former clerk of the House of Represen-
tatives, and at that time member OF
Congress from the Gettysburg district
Mr.. McPherson's statement, as printed
in the New York Sun, thus describes
what took place =
| was his seat-mate in the car, and
though he talked pleasantly, and spoke
of the country through which we were
passing, yet thought he was laboring
with one of those spells of profound
melancholy with which he was at times
afflicted. He spoke of Mr.. Everett,
who was to deliver the chief grafton,
and said that Everett ought to be at
his best. 1 knew that Mr.. Everett had
taken even more than his usual care in
preparing this grafton, and looked up
on his work as a masterpiece, and be-
lieve told Mr.. Lincoln SO, and he said
that the theme was great enough to in :
spire such an orator as Everett to his
best. Mr.. Lincoln, think, had not
thought of saying anything himself,
but told him he would be expected to
make few remarks, for it would not
be permitted him to be silent. He sat
for some moments absorbed in thought,
and at last began to feel in his pockets,
as if for loose paper. | asked him if he
wanted paper and pencil, and he said,
eyes, a scrap of paper" and | opened
my valise and gave him two or three
sheets of note paper. He drew up his
long knees, and putting book on
them, wrote, jotting down, as l sup
posed, few heads or suggestions. He
wrote right along, without hesitation
or erasure, and filled one page and a
part of another. Then he folded it up
and put it in his pocket, simply saying
that he had set down few lines that
had occurred to him to say.
Mr.. Mcpherson says Mr.. Lincoln
spoke from this manuscript, that his
remarks were but imperfectly heard
and family appreciated, and that it
was not til! afterward that their singu-
lar beauty and fitness was observed, -
a final degree of appreciation which
was matter of much surprise to Mr..
Lincoln.
Mr.. Mcpherson has not been heard
from again, but the reporter of the
New York Times who was present on
that occasion has contributed his recOl-
lectiOns. He says Mr.. Lincoln certain
ly spoke from manuscript and, while
not reading it closely, referred to it as
often as once for each sentence. The
speech was uttered in a loud voice
without hesitation and loudly applaud
ed. 1t was probably not appreciated
to its true merit by the audience, many
of whom had dispersed Over-the battle
field, then scarcely washed of the blood
of strife. Mr.. Lincoln spoke after Mr..
Everett, and the anecdOte has been
preserved by some one that when the
president had finished the previous
orator grasped his hand warmly and
said, "What | have said here will be
forgotten, but your words will live,"
or something to that effect. Yet Mr..
Everett's Grafton was fitting prelude
to Mr.. LincOln's and the country might
even now turn back and honor him for
the lesson which he then inculcated,- -
namely, the high probability of the flu
ture reconciliation of the then warning
sections of our Union.
Mr.. Lincoln's speech was printed in
the same papers which printed Mr..
Everett's, but was not so generally
upon the first day. This
might be explained by the circumstance
that Mr.. Everett may have sent proofs
of his Grafton to the newspapers before
hand, while Mr.. LincOln's speech would
reach the same offices late in the even
ing by telegraph.
This article would be incomplete if
we did not enable our readers to turn
back and read over again this model
speech, reprinting the speech itself,
the New York Times copy
and emitting the applause which was
given six times:-
FOurscOre and seven years ago our
fathers brought forth upon this cOnti
1ent new nation, conceived in liber
~ and dedicated to the proposition
hat all men are created equal. Now
We are engaged in great civil war,
testing whether that nation, or any ma
ion, so conceived and so dedicated can |
Ong endure. We are met on a great |
battle field of that war. We have
come to dedicate portion of that field
rs final resting place for those who
lere gave their lives that the nation
night live. 1t is altogether fitting and
proper that we should do this. But in
l large sense we cannot dedicate, we
cannot cOnsecrate, we cannot hallOw
his ground. The brave men, living
md dead, who struggled here have
it far above our power to
i'd or detract. The world will little
lOte, nor long remember, what we say
lere, but it can never forget what they
lid here. 1t is for us, the living, rath
IF to be dedicated here to the unfinish-
ID work which they who fought here
lave thus far SO nObly carried on. 1t
s rather for us to be here dedicated to
he great task remaining before us
hat from these hOnOred dead we take
increased devotion to that cause to
which they here gave the last full
MEASURE of devotion that we here
ighly resolve that these dead shall not
ave died in vain, that this nation, un-
er God, shall have new birth of
reedom, and that government of the
eOple, by the people, and for the peO-
lie shall not perish from the earth.
Mr.. McPhersOn's recollection of the
manner of the composition of these few
eriOds bears every mark of truth and
substantially confirmed as above.
he grandeur of the occasion lifted the
oul of Mr.. Lincoln into one of those
hoods when his eyes took on the far
way look of the seer and he saw truth
ice to face. He stood on hight of I
uman history and looked far back
ard and forward, like Moses on Nebo.
he hour was wonderfully significant
, every sensitive soul. The reporters
aid that the prayer of Rev. Mr.. Stock
IN was singularly beautiful. Mr.. Ev-
rett walked with Pericles and quoted |
is words, "The whole earth is the {
epulcher of illustriOus men," He, too, {
aw the future with unerring vision as !
9 foresaw the triumph of the Union, {